BHUBANESWAR: The Border Security Force (BSF) will launch a boat ambulance for the people of Swabhiman Anchal of Malkangiri on the occasion of Republic Day.
The facility will help the 10,000-odd residents of over 35 villages near Balimela reservoir in the cut-off area. A majority of these villages do not have road connectivity which makes it difficult for them to access ambulance services. In case of health emergencies, they carry a patient on slings or bamboo stretchers through forest areas to reach the mainland.
Sources in the BSF said the boat ambulance will operate seven days in a week but the officers will likely avoid providing assistance to the villagers during late nights due to the threat of the left-wing extremists in the region. A mobile number will be displayed on the boat ambulance and the phone numbers of BSF officers will be circulated in the panchayats to make people aware about the service.
The boat will be equipped with a drip system, medicines, paramedical staff, and if necessary some doctors will also accompany the patients, said a BSF officer. Once reaching near a motorable road, BSF officers will also arrange an ambulance to shift the patient to the nearby hospital.
The BSF officers also said that they have been organising medical camps in remote areas of their deployment for the benefit of the local population.